Carpe Diem
by wimpled doghearted apple john
Summary: Unexpectantly becoming a professor at the DWMA, Circe Elias gets more from the experience then she intends. Teaching a class of witch hating weapons and meisters, and falling in love with someone just as quirky as herself. SteinxOC, rated M because you just never know.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Three years after the kishin Asura was defeated, the DWMA continued to train weapons and meisters to eliminate the evil souls that littered the landscape they lived on. One star meisters matured into two and three star meisters. Weapons grew from mishandled tools into skilled, experienced weapons. Even some, Death Scythes.

As for the students who defeated Asura, they matured, age and responsibility taking away some of their immature tendencies. Black Star being an exception.

Maka and Soul were promoted to higher ranks as the pair finally became a successful meister and Death Scythe. Kid and his asymmetrical weapons, Patty and Liz, continued to take missions to get rid of pesky kishins. Black Star and Tsubaki were much more experienced in balancing the nature of their souls and working together.

The Death Scythes that had come to the DWMA for support had left to their previous lives. Miss Marie had returned to Oceania. Azusa Yumi returned to East Asia. Justin Law returned to his Europe division. All the individuals that had come to lend a hand to the DWMA had left to return to their previous lives, taking only with them the memories of the vigorous fight between good and evil.

Dr. Franken Stein and Spirit Albarn had taken back their previous positions as professor and Death Scythe to Lord Death.

Everything felt secure and, almost strangely, safe. This was no complaint to the citizens of Death City as they reveled in the peace for all it was worth.

Chapter 1

Spirit sat across from Death while taking a sip of his tea.

It was painfully awkward as the only sounds you could hear between the pair was annoying slurping.

"Spirit, I have a proposition that I know would help the Academy greatly! You see, since the two eldest Gorgon sisters have been gone, I have reviewed the early actions our students had taken to take down Medusa. All the attempts that were taken were failures until it was almost too late. Do you think the DWMA's students should be more informed on witches?" Death had set his tea down and was now tapping his mask with an over-sized finger in thought.

Spirit nodded, his red hair slipping into his face. He brushed it away, eyes furrowed in confusion. "I guess so. But Medusa was an incredibly strong witch. More powerful than even Stein and I had the ability for. I mean the kids-" Spirit was cut off.

"You're absolutely right, Death Scythe! We should have a class dedicated to the knowledge of witches! Now all we must figure out is who would have the capabilities to teach such a course." Death picked up his tiny tea cup to take another sip.

Spirit cleared his throat. "Uh, well. There are no teachers I could think of that could teach such a course. All the teachers here are-" Spirit was cut off once again.

"How innovative of you, Spirit! Yes, I have exactly the right woman in mind! You're excused, Death Scythe." Death rose from his pillow and moved toward the golden framed mirror in the Death Room.

Confused, Spirit stood and stuffed his hands in his pockets making his way down the hall of guillotines. "Glad I could be of use." He said softly, it sounding more of a question than a statement. He couldn't help but wonder who Death had in mind.

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The woman let her fingers trail over the clothing racks in the department store, closely examining the articles of clothing. Pulling a simple shirt from the rack, she held it against her chest. Turning to look at the mirror mounted on the wall, the young woman's reflection was suddenly replaced with Lord Death's face, his hand forming a peace sign.

"What's up, what's up, what's up?!" He said in a cheerful tone.

The woman smiled, placing the hanger back on the rack. "Lord Death. It's so nice to see you! It's been quite a while hasn't it?" She took a step closer to the mirror.

"It has! The last time I saw you, you were fifteen and graduating from the DWMA. How long has it been since then?" Energetic as ever, Death bounced around on the other side of the mirror.

"Ten years, sir. First witch to ever graduate from the Academy." The woman smiled kindly at Death. Death himself felt a bit blushed.

"That is exactly why I would like you to come to the DWMA and teach a new class here! You're the only witch I have my complete trust in. You're also the only witch to be allied with my academy. What do you say?" Death got close to the mirror.

The witch felt her cheeks heat up as she looked Death in the face.

A professor? Her? A teacher? No way.

She chuckled half-heartedly. "Oh, Lord Death. That's a very flattering offer. But uh-"

"Fantastic! The students and I very much appreciate your service. The DWMA will be expecting you day after tomorrow to discuss your wages and living arrangements, other annoying, frivolous things like that. Circe Elias, the first witch to teach here at the DWMA!"

Mouth agape and cheeks flushed, the woman watched as the image of Death disappeared and was replaced with her reflection once again. Looking at herself in the mirror, she couldn't believe what had just happened.

What's done is done, she thought to herself. And she turned her attention back to the clothing racks in front of her.

Circe Elias, a teacher?

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Hi! This is my very first fanfiction, introducing my OC, Circe Elias! (Circe pronounced "sur-see") This story is going to be based off the ending of the ANIME. As the anime kind of leaves the audience hanging, I decided to write my own continuation. In this interpretation, I picture the gang (Maka, Soul, Tsubaki… etc.) around 17/18 years old.

The pairing in this fanfiction will be SteinxOC, just because I don't think that there are enough out there.

I know I didn't give any description of my OC whatsoever, but I have the full intention of doing so in the next chapter! So please stick around and review. I may have some things planned!

Thanks a bunch for reading - Allie


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Stein's POV

Air around the DWMA was buzzing with constant chatter about the new addition to class selections and the new face to teach the course. Of course most of the rumors sounded more ridiculous than others, but hell, who was I to say anything? I didn't even know much myself.

The school day had been dismissed and Death had requested all the teachers and staff to the Death Room. Making my way down the empty hallway, I stuffed my hands into my pockets, letting my burning cigarette dangle off my bottom lip.

As strange as Lord Death is, it did seem a little out of character for him to keep the teachers of his own academy in the dark. I would have thought he'd give at least a bit of information about the new colleague.

I reached up to take my cigarette between my index and middle finger, pulling it away from my mouth as I blew smoke from my lips.

A "Witch Studies" class, huh? How odd. I thought. The DWMA hasn't dealt with many witches since Medusa and Arachne. If we did, they were very minor cases, pathetic in comparison of the eldest Gorgon sisters.

I felt a tremor quake through my body at the thought of them. The tiniest bit of madness lingering. Quickly, I shot my hand up to the side of my head to feel the cold metal of my screw. I turned it a few times, feeling my mind clear like fog in the morning.

Reaching the door to the Death Room, I placed my hand on the handle only to quickly snatch my hand back.

I hissed and looked at my hand. My fingertips tingled where I placed them on the doorknob as if my body had a negative reaction.

What the hell?

Holding my numbed hand in my other, I stretched my soul to search the contents of the room. There was nothing out of the ordinary, no strange souls.

As I continued for another moment, my eyes widened and I gritted my teeth together, crushing the filter of my cigarette.

A witch.

I felt the blood in my veins boil as countless memories of madness caused by that damned Medusa flooded my mind. Everything was clouded in my head like murky water as I felt more angry than I have felt in sometime.

Reaching up to turn my screw, I found that I was shaking. From what? Fear? Anger? Unable to hold my entire body weight up, I leaned against the door to the Death Room.

How pathetic was I? Trembling in the mere presence of a witch. Cranking the screw a few times over, I stood.

What the hell was a witch doing in the Death Room?

I pushed the door open aggressively. Eyes glued to the floor, I stomped my way through the hall of guillotines above my head. My hands were still shaking although I had gained most of my composure.

"Ah, Stein, glad you could join us." A voice broke through the strange murkiness clogging my mind.

I snapped my eyes toward the voice. Suddenly, everything was as clear as day as if my little fit hadn't even occurred. Spirit was looking at me strangely, one red eyebrow raised higher than the other.

"Uh, Stein?" He asked hesitantly.

I cleared my throat and took a drag off my cigarette, despite the crushed filter.

"Sorry, I was thinking. What's the meaning of this meeting, Lord Death?" I asked keeping my eyes down a bit as I walked up the few steps to stand in front of Death. I could still feel the witch's soul wavelengths against my skin through my lab coat. I knew exactly where she was, but I kept my eyes away from her.

"I would like you to meet the newest professor to the DWMA!" Lord Death's large hand nudged my shoulder to face me in Spirit's direction when I noticed her.

I was taken aback to say the least.

She was nothing like I sensed from her soul wavelengths. Her soul was enough to nearly mentally cripple me, yet her demeanor was extremely innocent.

When she smiled at me, her eyes crinkled in the corners. Her head was slightly tilted to the side causing the mess of wavy, gray and lilac tinged hair to fall to the side of her face. She was very fair despite her plump, fairy pink lips.

I would have thought she was dressed very modestly until I noticed that both sides of her ankle length skirt was cut from the hem to the tops of her thighs. I could notice, from the corner of my eye, that Spirit wasn't complaining.

With a smile still on her face, her eyes opened, revealing lively, and almost intimidating amber yellow eyes rimmed with thick eyelashes. Her hand stuck out towards me. "I'm Circe Elias. I'll be teaching the new Witch Studies class for the students here. But you probably already knew that." She laughed lightly.

Looking down at her small frame, I took her hand in mine, shaking in a friendly manner.

"I'm Dr. Stein." I said nonchalantly, as she pulled her hand away.

"Nice to meet you! What do you teach, Doctor?" She looked at me curiously.

She looked at me as if she was examining my physical appearance, but knowing a witch, I knew she was looking at my soul. I could even feel it.

Two could play at that game.

"Biology." I stated.

Focusing on her center, I slowly began to notice the extremely large aura around this young woman. It was almost baffling really. Her soul was larger than mine and a soft purple color, matching the lilac in her hair.

"Fascinating." She smiled again, her hands held behind her back. I felt the gaze of her yellow eyes retreat from my soul. I did the same as well.

"As it seems the two of you seem to mesh well together! Stein, would you mind showing Circe around the school? Her teaching area, too?" Death gave me a large thumbs up and leaned forward.

I nodded and began walking down the hallway of guillotines.

"Come along." I said over my shoulder when I didn't hear her footsteps following behind me.

"Oh, yes! Thank you, Lord Death. And goodbye, Spirit." She said sweetly to the men as the heels of her shoes clicked quickly behind me to catch up with my long strides.

"Aww, why does Stein get to show her around?" Spirit whined, using the tone of voice a child would if you took his candy.

There was only a swift 'bonk' noise following Spirit's complaint. Anyone well acquainted with the DWMA would associate that sound with Lord Death's infamous "Reaper Chop".

I stopped to open the door for her, letting her ahead of me.

As I left the Death Room after her, I grabbed her slender wrist pulling her back. With my hand on her hip, I slammed her roughly against the wall with her wrists pinned above her head.

My blood started to boil again within me as I looked down at her, fury filling my eyes.

A goddamn witch.

She struggled the tiniest bit, her soul wavelengths spiking. She looked up at me, locking her yellow eyes with my green ones. For only a moment, a look of fear glazed her doe-like eyes only to be replaced with anger.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She growled beneath me.

"What kind of magic did you stick in Death's food? He would never trust a witch or so much hire one as a teacher at his own academy." I hissed back down at her.

She struggled, but I only tightened my grip.

"Who do you think I am, you bastard?" Her wide eyes narrowed into slits as she glared at me. Anger slowly etched it's way onto her soft, childish features. Her soul wavelengths were spiking off the charts now, her soul growing much larger than mine.

"I have known Lord Death since I was thirteen and I owe him my life, at least, for what he has done for me. I graduated from this academy when I was fifteen, as a meister good enough to land my ass in the history books." Her words fanned against my face, smelling of mint, but dripping with acid.

I dared myself to not get discouraged. "How should I know you're telling the truth?" I questioned, returning with as much malice as she granted me.

"My being here is proof enough." She replied hotly, her cheeks suddenly gaining a pink blush.

I was defeated. Swallowing, I dropped her hands and made distance between her and I. Her soul was wavering, but slowly becoming more stable. The power her soul held could have easily ripped me to shreds.

She stood, adjusting her crocheted halter top and skirt. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before opening her yellow eyes again to meet mine.

"Please show me around." She said politely and with surprising calmness.

"Oh, uhm, yes." I said, beginning to walk down the hallway.

"Oh, Doctor. You're lucky I don't turn you into a hog after pulling a move like that." She huffed.

And as much as I would hate to admit, she was right.

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Liking Circe? Let me know! If anyone has any future plot ideas, tell me! I would love to hear any ideas you have.

Thanks for reading! - Allie


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Stein's POV

While showing Circe around, we shared quiet little conversations about the new additions to the architecture of the building, new classes, new students. Most of it was just conversation to fill the awkward void between us.

I came to a stop in front of the room Circe would now be teaching in. Coincidentally, it was right across from my classroom.

Damn you, Death.

"This is your classroom. And here's the key to the room." I said, placing the skull shaped key in the palm of her small hand.

Smiling, she curled her fingers over the key now resting in her hand. "It's so strange to think about it." She sighed, looking at me.

Slightly taken aback, I questioned her thought. "What's so strange?" This was the first real conversation shared between us. Strangely, I found myself eager to hear what this woman had to say.

Turning the key over in her fingers, she moved to the door and opened it up. When she opened the door, there was a slight musty smell to it as it hadn't been used in quite a while. Circe's nose scrunched in disgust.

"Passing my knowledge onto the little ones. The younger generation." She said softly before making her way into the dark classroom. I followed her.

I furrowed my eyebrows while watching her drag her fingers along the wood of the desk in the front of the room. The way she moved was almost dream-like.

"'Younger generation'? You talk about the students as if you're living in a retirement home." I grin.

She turns around to smile at me. "I'm only 25, but I'll be in a retirement home before I know it. It's so weird to think of all these kids as a new face to carry on the knowledge of the DWMA."

She took a moment to pause and hop up on the desk. I continued to stand by the door.

"You never know which of these students will surpass their mentors or become mentors like I have now." She sighed, an ethereal grin plastered to her lips.

I shook my head at her, smiling a bit.

As I stood watching her and listening to her talk, I suddenly felt a deep pit of regret rising in my stomach.

Did I feel bad for assuming she was abominable just because she was a witch?

I did.

Swallowing, I spoke up.

"Ms. Elias, I'm sorry for the, uh, situation earlier. It was pretty unacceptable of me. Do you, uh, think we could come to a truce? You and I?" I chuckled and palmed the back of my neck to look back at her.

With her legs swinging, she faced me, the same smile on her face when I met her. Her eyes crinkled at the corners and the corners of her lips were tugged up into a grin.

"Of course, Doctor." She laughed while hopping off the desk. "But you can make it up to me by taking me out to dinner. What's the best restaurant here? I could kill for some ramen." She breathed and walked past me out of the classroom, her colorfully patterned skirt swaying.

I just smiled and walked out after her.

How peculiar she was.

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We sat across from each other inside a yellowish lit restaurant, waiting for our orders.

She stuck her straw in a filled water glass.

"I have a question, Stein." She proposed bluntly, twirling a piece of gray hair around her finger.

"Go ahead." I grunted, leaning back in the booth.

She looked me in the eye, and I felt her looking at my soul.

"If it's not too invasive, I would just like to know why you have such a negative reaction to a witch soul. Mine for example. I felt you outside the Death Room and your soul wavelengths were like this." She lifted her finger up in the air and mimicked the motions of a liar's polygraph needle. "It was so strange to me, until I realized that I was a witch in a school of witch hating professors. I guess it's only natural for someone who's had experience with the Gorgon sisters to be irked at any witch. But your reaction was… abnormally strong." Her finger was now swirling around in her water glass, her eyes still poised on me.

I felt squeamish under her yellow gaze, but I didn't express it.

"Yeah." I cleared my throat and placed both my elbows on the table.

"Yeah…? Is that all you're going to give me?" She huffed exasperatedly.

"Ms. Elias, I don't-" I started, only to be cut off.

"Call me Circe." She said, before taking a sip from the straw in her cup.

"Circe," I corrected. "To be honest, I don't know exactly what that reaction was. It was completely out of the ordinary." I reached up and adjusted my spectacles.

I started again. "I do feel it has to do with the medication I came up for myself."

She tilted her head at me in confusion. "Medication? For what?"

I sighed. "I may as well tell you everything, yeah?" I looked down at her and she nodded, wavy hair bouncing.

"As I'm sure you're well aware of the Kishin Asura being unleashed, along with all the madness he obtained. The madness affected everyone in the world, but some more than others. I was one of those people." I cleared my throat. "It was a very low time, and after Arachne and Medusa were defeated, I promised myself I would never fall victim to that damned madness again. So I concocted a medication I would administer to myself to battle with it."

I noticed how she adjusted on the red plush of the cushioned booth.

"You made your own? Didn't they ration out an anecdote to prevent the citizens here from going mad? You couldn't use that?" She was now drumming her fingertips on the wood table.

"That pill was nothing more than a placebo. It was easier to use psychology than actual science. It worked for almost everyone, but for the more affected, it didn't." I reached up and cranked the screw, the ticking calming my thoughts.

"My pill contained the chemicals to prevent neurotransmitters from communicating with the amygdala in the brain. The amygdala being the part of the brain to harbor anger and fear." I reached into my pocket for my lighter. "I guess there are some side effects of the pill, maybe paranoia. Possibly accompanied by PTSD. Anyone in Death City when Asura was unleashed is bound to have some post stress." I finished.

"And that's what you think madness is made of? Anger and fear?" She asked.

"Oh, I know." I placed a cigarette in my mouth and lit it.

There was a silence between us, not awkward or uncomfortable. Just silence.

That was the end of that conversation.

Not following too long after, the waiter placed our bowls of ramen on the table.

"I have another question." She stated like a child, picking at the ramen in her bowl.

"Yes?" I inhaled and exhaled, letting out smoke before picking up my chopsticks.

"Does smoking warm you up?" She watched as the tip of the cigarette burned bright orange.

I chuckled.

"Nope. Not one bit."

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Sorry, this is a little late!

Next chapter, Circe's first day at her new teaching job! How do you think it'll go down?

Lots of love!

Allie


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Circe's POV

With a hot cup of coffee in hand, I made my way down the hallway lined with skull shaped lanterns hanging along the red painted wall.

The heels of my shoes clicked on the tile as I hurried through the almost emptied corridors. Although many of the students were already in their classrooms with their respective teachers, a small handful of students wandered to their lockers or with each other.

How stupid was it of me to wake up late?

I huffed at myself in annoyance.

Above the door was the room number in bolded black print. Room 257. My classroom.

Standing in front of the door, I swallowed nervously. What should I expect? Unconsciously, my clammy hand wiped against my thigh on the cloth of my bohemian printed skirt. And I began to pop my knuckles.

Damn my nervous ticks.

From behind the door, I heard a lot of chatter. Only one voice I noticed, it was Stein's. I was aware he would monitor my lessons as a classroom aid until it was obvious I could handle my class independently.

I opened the door with my unoccupied hand and I stepped in, shutting the door behind me. I felt the room silence and stiffen in my presence. Only until a loud voice broken the silence.

"What the hell? A witch? Tsubaki, weapon form!"

Before I could even turn around to face the class, I felt a whoosh of air come toward me.

This little brat was charging me.

Turning my body quickly, I flicked my finger in the direction of the blue haired boy and his yellow decorated weapon.

His angered expression changed drastically from anger to surprise. Frozen in his mid air leap at me, his weapon was dropped from his grasp. His weapon, the one I supposed was called Tsubaki, called out to him.

"Black Star!"

So Black Star was his name.

I smiled, and motioned my finger again in a small circle.

His nose was the first to go as it changed from a human nose, to a pig snout. The room gasped in awe and Stein, from the other side of the room, chuckled. In a matter of seconds, Black Star fell from his position in the air to the ground, now a hog.

I laughed and looked at the situation in front of me. The boy, or pig I should say, was hopping around his frantic weapon. My cup of coffee was now on the ground, shattered, coffee on the floor.

"Ugh. What a great start to my day. Wouldn't you all agree?" I said aloud to my class, smiling.

I picked up a piece of white chalk from the board and wrote my name in careful cursive letters.

"Hi, class." I smiled, turning around to face the class. Their eyes were widened at me, probably still in shock from the little pig incident. "My name is Circe Elias. But as your new teacher, you'll call me either Professor Circe or Professor Elias. Is that clear?" I said sweetly. Most students nodded and grunted in affirmation.

"Good! Now you two, back to your seats please." Turning my head toward the weapon and pig on the ground in front of the door, Tsubaki quietly picked the animal in her arms and carried him to her seat. I sighed.

I hated to be so cranky with my new students, but guidelines had to be set.

"If any of you wish to make it through this class with opposable thumbs and a passing grade, I suggest you don't do anything stupid like that." I flicked my forefinger at the smashed cup on the floor, the pieces picked themselves up and the coffee mopped itself up. The glass pieces moved into the trash and with a snap of my fingers, the liquid vanished.

"Turn Black Star back!" A voice called from the rows of students. A young man adorned with white, spiky hair stood from the crowd, pointing a finger at the little pink pig.

Stein grunted in his seat next to the desk. "Shut up and sit down, Soul."

Pressing my lips together in a straight line, I outwardly sighed. "The curse isn't permanent. He should be normal by the end of the period."

Writing the title of the course on the board with white chalk, I turned to the class again.

"I am a witch, teaching a class of weapons and meisters how to deal with or defeat witches. A bit ironic." The class shifted. "Now, the DWMA has had much experience with witches, such as the eldest Gorgon sisters. And yes, I know you all despise witches. But if my intentions were anything but pure, I wouldn't be here." I laughed a little.

A hand rose in the crowd. A young lady with blonde pigtails politely called my attention.

"Yes, oh and what's your name?" I called on her.

"Maka Albarn. Why is this class necessary? Didn't the DWMA take care of Medusa and Arachne? I mean, they were really strong witches." She cleared her throat, the white hair boy next to her rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat, feet on the desk.

"Not efficiently enough. Everything that I supply to you in this class will be knowledge enough to aid in taking down an opposing witch. Even me if you wish." I shrugged, leaning against the black board.

Stein grunted, nodding, his lit cigarette hanging from his mouth. "Besides, it wouldn't kill any of you to learn more about witches." He stood from his chair, stretching out his tall and lean frame. "The DWMA isn't as well informed on the subject as many would believe. Which is why," Stein made his way over to me, placing his hand on my head in an authoritative manner. I silently scoffed, feeling myself blush. "it is extremely beneficial we have a witch on our side."

I side stepped away from Stein, his hand falling to his side.

"Yes." I say. "So take notes. Our first lesson will be a review of witch souls on a molecular level." Motioning my hand over the class, their books flipped over to the appropriate page. "Take notes." I repeated.

The class groaned in annoyance, but soon, the rustling of paper filled the classroom.

I couldn't help but smile to myself.

Professor Circe…

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"Class is dismissed! Have a good day!" I said cheerfully, tapping the eraser on my desk causing it to move to the board, clearing it of chalk.

Chatter between the students filled the room as they packed up their items and left to their next class.

Even Black Star had returned to his human state, with Tsubaki crooning over him like a mother.

"I'm impressed, Circe. You're a natural." A deep, bored toned voice called my attention from the side of my desk.

Smiling, I turned my head to Stein. "You think so?" Tugging on the hem of my black cropped shirt.

He chuckled, nodded. "Better than any half assed job I've ever done."

I laughed, arranging a surprising new stack of papers on my desk.

"Maka, you're not seriously going to- Maka!"

"Stop it, Soul! Professor Circe?"

Looking up at the two students in front of me, I raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Maka?"

Maka was a bit taller than I am and quite slight, her curious green eyes paired with pale blonde hair. So this Spirit's daughter? The boy behind her, Soul, was taller than her by only the slightest. His hair was hair messy and his eyes were strange enough, red.

With the new witch textbook clenched to her chest, Maka swallowed, her partner behind her with an annoyed look on his face. "Would you mind tutoring Soul and I? We both need a lot of help in this subject."

I scoffed "Maka, you don't really need any extra help with this material. It's the first day and you already know so much about a witch soul. On the other hand, Soul, maybe you could do with some tutoring. But even so, with Maka as your partner, she could help with you with everything." I turned my attention back to document sorting.

Stein spoke up from behind me. "It is a little strange for you to be asking for help in something tedious for you as school. Are you sure there isn't an ulterior motive behind this?" Stein crossed his arms over his chest, smirking around his cigarette.

Maka instantly blushed and Soul nodded.

"Maka wants help with Witch Hunter." Soul turned his head lazily over to me. He quickly turned his head away from me again, crossing his arms over his chest in a bored manner. Luckily for Soul, I didn't notice the small trickle of blood drip from his nose before he wiped it away with the sleeve of his jacket.

My eyes snapped up to Maka's round blushed face. "Witch Hunter, huh?" I smirked and stood up straight, smirking. "Where in the hell did you learn that move?"

Maka shrugged and held the textbook closer to her.

"I'd be happy to. It is quite the attack, even I'm not such an expert. Professor Stein, are you well acquainted with this technique?" I asked, tapping my finger on my desk.

Stein took a drag off his cigarette before letting the smoke out in Maka's direction. Her face scrunched in disgust and fanned it away from her.

"I am. But even so, Maka, you've already done so much extra practice with Witch Hunter. You can do it. So what's the point in coming to Ms. Elias?"

Maka huffed. "Professor Elias is a three star meister. Not only that, she has the ability to become a weapon. A double ended scythe too! Her abilities near rival that of yours. She graduated with extraordinary grades, better than mine. She's nothing far from a damn genius! Why wouldn't I want her help?"

I instantly blushed, turning my attention to the black board, writing tomorrow's lesson on the board.

"I see…" Stein said slowly.

"We could use some work on Witch Hunter, I guess. We haven't really used it ever since the whole Asura thing." Soul spoke up from behind Maka.

Placing the chalk on the chalk tray, I sighed. "Stein, there's no point in denying my students extra attention. Dr. Stein and I will meet you at the training ground after school." I turned to Maka and Soul, smiling.

Maka's face lit up and she nodded eagerly. "Great! I'd like to incorporate something new into it. Thank you, Professor!" Before leaving the room, she grabbed Soul's jacket, taking him in tow.

Clearing my throat, I looked up at Stein. "I'm sorry for making you cancel whatever fun activity you had planned after school tomorrow." I grabbed my small hand bag off the back of my chair and placed it on my shoulder.

Stein's glasses reflected the light and his shoulders slumped. "It's alright, Circe. Not like I was planning on dissecting any extremely exotic breed of cockatoo from the rainforest. I suppose it could wait." Stein's annoyance bled through his sarcastic tone.

"Not to worry, Doctor. I'll make it up to you." I smiled at Stein before leaving the classroom to the library.

I'd need to do some serious reading on Witch Hunter if I wanted to keep my reputation up to par.

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Hiii. Thank you so much for liking and following my story! Leave reviews for me(: And message me, I'd love talking to you guys!

Allie


	5. Chapter 5

Stein's POV

It was amusing for me to watch as Circe continuously glanced at her lesson plans for today. Something about her lesson was bothering her a great deal.

"The Amazing Circe Elias, first witch ally for the DWMA", was nervous? I couldn't help but smirk.

Class was in session after the bell had rung and the students got themselves situated into their seats with open books.

From the corner of my eye and my place at the corner of her desk, I watched as she tugged at the collar of her shirt with her index finger. Maybe I even noticed her sweat drop from her brow.

The class of students quieted down and looked to the nervous professor at the front of the room. She popped her knuckles.

Before speaking, she smiled weakly. "Today's lesson will be, erm, calculations. Let's hope you have, uhm, exceptional grades in your mathematical classes as you'll be solving for the magnitude of a witch attack." She ran a hand through her wild lilac locks.

"Please refer to page 274 for the equation in which we will plug in the factors. Uhm." She turned to face the board, chalk poised to the black board. Although she was ready to jot down instructions for the class, her chalk didn't move.

Snapping back around for the textbook for reference, she quickly wrote down the equation onto the board.

I took a long, hard drag off my cigarette, continuing to watch, amused at her nervous state. From my position at the corner of her desk, I could notice all her nervous ticks. Like the way she tapped the toe of her shoe and fidgeted with the cloth of her skirt.

"Professor, you forgot the equation sign." A student from the crowd called.

A visible shiver ran through her body and she wiped a sweaty palm on her tank top. "I did?" She squeaked.

Her shaky hand shot up to the board to correct the mistake.

"Class." She began sweetly, but obviously flustered. "How about we skip this little section, yeah? I mean, it's super easy and you probably won't even use it." Her golden hue eyes raked over the class in an almost desperate way.

Just like I guessed, Maka's hand raised. "This topic covers two chapters. Are you sure we won't need to know this for the final exam?"

The chalk in Circe's hand snapped in two.

She swallowed. "Well. I don't think it's really necessary to learn. I never used it. Heh." She set the crushed pieces of chalk onto the chalk tray.

Soul scoffed. "So you're not gonna teach it to us, but it'll still be on the exam?" His eyebrows furrowed.

Circe shuffled her feet. "Well, uh. Let's work on another topic today and save this one for another day! Page 329, please." She said this as nonchalantly as possible while smiling widely.

The class began to chatter during this moment of break.

"Do you have anything planned, Circe?" I mused, glancing over at her fidgeting form with my dulled green eyes.

"Shut up, Stein." She forced through gritted teeth. "I do have something planned as a matter of fact."

"Did you just come up with it, by chance?" I chuckle and stood.

She rolled her eyes. "Who do you think I am, Stein? Definitely not a half assed teacher such as yourself. Now, make use of yourself and go to the art room. I need coloring supplies." She kneeled over to dig through the cabinet drawer of her desk.

"Aye, aye Captain." I grunted. But before leaving, I leaned over to place my voice to her ear. "I may be half assed, but at least I know basic math." Watching her cheeks fire up from clear embarrassment, I chuckled and left her classroom.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rest of the class period, the elder high school students spent their time drawing their own witches. Briefing the students, Circe brushed on the topic (which I'm sure was made up) of "Witch Subtly". The new professor's made up topic covered the way some witches look and dress.

It was appalling, really. This woman, who excelled in what seemed like everything, lacked greatly in something as remedial as math.

A class textbook was poised in a my hand and a cigarette was held between my lips as always. Only after glancing at the initial lesson on page 274, I found the mathematical operations to be quite easy.

Circe was sat on top her wooden desk, swinging her legs back and forth.

She really saved her ass this time.

As I watched her from my perch in the corner of the room, an wave of almost relief washed over her when the bell rang.

"No matter whether you finished or not, students, I want your drawings in my hand before you leave. Of course, you won't be graded on ability, but effort." She hopped off the desk and snapped her fingers, a clone of herself taking it's place by the door. "Yes, I'm talking to you two. Black Star, Soul."

The blue haired boy and white haired boy looked up the professor.

"Why you gotta single us out like that? Kid didn't even start his!" Black Star cawed, pointing a finger accusingly at Death the Kid.

With Circe's closer inspection, Black Star's accusations proved to be true. Kid's drawing was lacking. Except his name, written in perfect manuscript, at the top corner.

Slightly disgruntled, the new professor sighed, pressed an index finger to her temple. "Just turn them in boys. Nice work. 'A for effort', I suppose." She smiled weakly.

The students filed out of the classroom, all except for Maka and Soul.

Twisting the screw a couple times, I stood from my chair. "I almost forgot about your lesson today." I grunted, shoving my hands into the pockets of my white lab coat.

"Oh, that's right. Lovely." Circe chimed in, flicking her finger at the chalkboard eraser, causing the eraser to rid the blackboard of the white manuscript.

"What a pain." Soul groaned, his hands in his pockets as well.

"Now, now. It won't be too bad. I mean, what's so bad about strengthening your skills, right Maka?" The professor winked at Maka.

"Yeah, so shut up, Soul." Maka looked at the boy, a soft smirk on her lips.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if the two ended up married.

"Let's get going then." I gestured at the others before leaving the room towards the training grounds.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Soft wind whistled through the leaves on the trees and the sun blanketed an orange glow over the landscape. The autumn weather was nice for training, never too hot or too cold. My shoes kicked up a little dirt as we walked along the cobblestone walkway to the open training area.

"Here we are." I stated.

I felt truly content. Training was always something I've always found comfort in. Strengthening your body was important, but as was strengthening your mind.

"This is eerie. It's nearly the exact same as I left it." Circe told our quartet, tossing her purse onto the grass by a nearby tree. "But no time for reminiscing! Let's get to work. Now, what did you want to work on Maka?"

Circe's attitude was much more confident than it was this morning.

Maka put her school bag next to Soul's gingerly as she seemed slightly timid before answering.

"W-"

"Witch Hunter, Circe." I smirked, reminding the lilac haired woman.

"Ahh, yes. I see. Alright. You're quite familiar with the attack, I assume?" She put her hands on her hips, reflecting the smirk on my own lips.

"Yes. Care to resonate with me?"

Soul and Maka watched closely.

According to their performance in the riddance of Asura, the pair's soul resonance was nearly perfect.

A few step toward me signaled that Circe had made her way to stand next to me. And although I acknowledged her next to me, I wasn't expecting her hand to grip the sleeve of my lab coat. Her hand held onto my arm tightly and I heard her take a deep breath.

"Now, I can only assume that the two of you have an incredibly strong resonance. But to nearly perfect it, you must… understand your partner's mindset, you see…"

Looking over at the new professor next to me, I watched how her hair turned strangely auburn in the orange atmosphere of the evening and her eyes only brightened with the golden tones in the air. Her skirt was blown gently against her legs, leaving a Bohemian printed pattern trailing behind her. Autumn was truly beautiful.

Her eyes closed and I followed suit quickly, closing mine as well.

"Ready, Stein?" Her voice was small and nearly timid while her fingers gripped a little tighter on my white sleeve.

"Yep." I grunted in response.

Soon, the air around the four was heavy and humid with anxiety. The wind picked up and swirled the nervous air around them, making it worse, like a pot of stew, heated with convection.

"Let's go soul resonance!"

A piercing headache,

a guttural grunt,

dirty lab coat,

heavy breathing,

cold ground,

Circe,

Maka and Soul,

pain,

ugh, my brain…

With the ounce of strength I had left, I opened my eyes to the sky, blue filling my view of the world. I realized I was down as blue sky turned into lilac hair and a cute fretful face.

"Shit, that hurt…"

And I was out.


	6. Chapter 6

Stein's POV

 _White._

 _Yeah… there was a lot of white._

 _Ow._

 _And shit, it's blurry. Where the hell are my glasses?_

I lifted my arm to turn my screw in hopes to soothe my rocking headache and body. But hell, that only made my body hurt worse. Like rolling waves, my body was submerged in a sea of pain. Not a sting or a burn, just an ache.

With an audible groan, I lowered my arm again.

"Oh, you're awake? Finally…" Someone cooed from the corner.

The pain had squeezed my eyes closed but just as soon as the pain had come, an unseen force turned my screw and my tense body had loosened.

"Circe?" I pried my eyes open with clenched teeth.

The bed sank beside me and I searched for her. Everything was hyper exposed but I could make out her small silhouette of lilac.

"Yeah." She nodded and a warm hand was placed on my cold arm. "It's been awhile. Surprising that you even remember me." She joked gently. Her fingers absent-mindedly straightened out and flattened the blanket on the hospital bed.

Mustering up the strength to prop myself up, I looked at her more clearly, the features of her face becoming more noticeable and contrasted. I had to admit, she looked tired.

Circe's seemingly unmanageable hair was still purple, but flat. Her lively curls were pressed flat against her lush cheeks. Her shirt was wrinkled and her under eyes had gotten darker. Had she stayed up for me?

"Well, I guess my first question is: how long was I out?" I cranked the screw again, the pain was gone now. My body felt tired.

Circe stood and brushed off her skirt before clearing her throat. "2 days."

Green eyes widened and my lips parted with awe.

"Damnit." I grunted, scratching my head. Unanswered questions pattered against my head like light rainfall. "What am I doing here?"

"Good question, professor." She leaned against the end of my bed with her palms pressed to the frame. "No one can really understand what happened to you. But it is indeed rare. The school nurse was just as dumbfounded as anyone else was. Even someone as experienced as Spirit had no idea. He's been worried. Actually…" Circe trailed off, moving to the door.

Her hand tugged on the door handle, opening the nurse's office room door inward. With a grunt, Spirit, who was leaning of the opposite side of the door, fell into the room.

"Stein!" Spirit pulled himself from the floor, anchoring onto the bed frame and tugging himself onto the bed. "It's been such a pain in the ass the last two days without you." Spirit scratched his head, disturbing his messy hair even more.

"If anyone knows a pain in the ass, it's me." I chuckled, reaching for the nightstand beside my bed for my spectacles.

"Ah!" The lanky red haired man lunged for the glasses first, picking them up gently and knocking my arm out of the way.

"What the he-" I started.

"You're the injured one. I'll help you in anyway you need, Stein." Spirit "gently" shoved my glasses onto my face, leaving them crooked.

"My god, Spirit." I huffed. "For something as tedious as putting glasses on, I don't need any assistance. I actually feel fine." Agitated, I arranged my glasses onto my eyes properly, fixing them.

"Right. But you need to be a little easier on yourself. No one knows what happened to you." Spirit shrugged and took a seat in a chair against the office wall.

"And I need to figure that out. I have to get back to my lab to start testing." My hand gripped the edge of the sheets, throwing them off my legs.

It was a millisecond before the sheets were back over me and I was laying down. Spirit, now standing beside my bed, placed a forefinger against his temple, sighing.

"Must you be so stubborn? Just stay down." Spirit's hand shoved itself back into his trouser pocket.

I internally groaned. And the room was silent for a moment. A small snore cut through the silence like a knife. Both pairs of our eyes looked over at the snorer.

Slumped in a chair, Circe had tucked her legs onto the chair as well, her head lolled on her shoulder and she seemed fast asleep.

"She's been up since… well, whatever happened. I'm glad she's finally getting some sleep now." Moving over to the sleeping female, Spirit scooped her up ungracefully and laid her onto the spare hospital room bed.

My breath faltered. "She has?" I swallowed, watching as she rolled over, her back now facing my direction.

"Yeah. When they admitted you, she came to me. She went on for a good hour about how sorry she was." He shrugged, sitting in the chair he previously sat in. "It's strange."

My attention was turned back to Spirit.

"Strange? How?" I flashed a glance back at Circe.

"She was so sure she hurt you. And she was so willingly to do anything to fix it." Spirit sighed, easing in the chair. "I can't help but think that she had something to do with this."

"It's not her fault, whatever happened was an accident." I glared at Spirit. "Even if it was her fault, it wasn't ever intentional. When has Circe ever displayed impure intentions?" I questioned.

 _She's only been here for two days, Stein. Get yourself together._

"I'm sure she never meant it, but- Nevermind. What you need to focus on is getting better. I think the nurse told me you could leave today." Spirit smiled gently, brushed a strand of hair out of his face.

"Great. I want to get out of this bed as soon as I can."

Another small snore interrupted the air.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Did you really have to bring me here, Spirit?"

The man's red hair was illuminated in the violet light of the Chupacabra.

With a female in each of his arms and two pressed against my sides as well, I couldn't help but feel awkward.

Spirit only giggled and hiccupped as the women swooned over him, petting his hair and patting his chest longingly.

Rolling my eyes, I turned my screw by raising a sore muscled arm.

"Sorry, ladies." I grumbled, standing and pulling some cash from my pocket and tossing it to the purple crescent shaped couch. The women looked at each other curiously before I left the Chupacabra with my hands shoved into my pockets.

I still felt weak, but I was sure I could make it to my house from here, this hadn't been the first time I'd been to the Chupacabra with Spirit.

My black shoes ground themselves into the cobblestone with each step I took and the air was ominously warm around my body. And oddly humid. But maybe it was just me. I wouldn't be surprised after all.

It was nighttime by now and the moonlight poured its glow over everything on the landscape, dipping deeply into the shadows and alleyways.

The stitches of my house made themselves prominently clear in the hazy fog of my mind. Although, something was off. The light in my bedroom was on, but I was sure it shouldn't have been. Upon entering my house carefully, the pungent smell of… _what the hell?_ Strawberries.

Snatching a scalpel off the operating table in my living room, I moved up the stairs, hugging the corners of each turn. The shower was running.

 _This murderer is showering in my house, and using_ strawberry _scented shampoo?_

Opening the master bedroom bathroom door, the steam leaked out, licking the door frame. I stepped into the bathroom, the scalpel still poised in my hand.

The moment was too quick to live in as my body almost subconsciously lunged itself to the shower curtain, weapon in hand. Before any actions could be carried out, Circe stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself with a flourish, probably feeling my soul before I even was aware of it.

"Dear God, Stein. Don't you have any manners?"

 _It was only Circe. But damnit, I didn't see anything and that was my only chance._

Curled into the side of the bathtub after my falling lunge, I let my body loosen. Looking over the top of my glasses at the Circe, my cigarette fell from my lips. I knew a blush had taken over it's place on my cheeks and I didn't have the mental capacity to hate it.

One of my gray bath towels was wrapped around her. Her purple hair was flat, but it cascaded down her back like the water cascading down her smooth, bare legs. Her golden eyes bore down into me with annoyance as a perfect lilac brow raised curiously.

"Get off the floor, Stein. I need to talk to you about something."


End file.
